Tuesday digest

- Fatalities are numbering well into the triple digits after Bombay's commuter train network was struck by explosions today. Whoever did this is going to have hell to pay. More than ever, the onus will now be on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to crack down on Islamic militants, and it's another reminder that urban transit networks are a prime target for terrorists.

- Example #76 of why the words "Palestinian leadership" and "accountability" do not belong in the same sentence: this article from today's Washington Post. Two things stick out for me: first, the conspiratorial use of quotation marks around the word "kidnapping" in reference to the Israeli soldier at the centre of all this, and second, the reference to the "core 1948 issues". The writer is clearly asserting his beliefs that Israel is staging the entire affair just as a pretext to invade Gaza, and also, that the creation of Israel itself is a score that still needs to be settled. How can one count on the Palestinians to be partners at the table when the time comes to negotiate peace when the same old tired rhetoric like this is trotted out over and over again? It's time that they look in the mirror instead of blaming external forces for every problem they face, especially those which are self-imposed through the use of suicide bombings against innocent civilians in the name of their own perverted definition of justice.

- Here is a sad article about what political correctness has done to inquiry, debate and discussion in America on even the most inoffensive of subjects.

- In today's loony left play of the day, an update on how Cindy Sheehan's hunger strike, which apparently includes coffee and ice cream, is going. Note how even the tedium of travelling is made worse by the 2000 and 2004 "coup attempts".

- Ralph Klein says politics isn't any fun since he quit drinkin'. I don't see how going into work hung over every day can be a good time, but if you're a Tory in Alberta, you can get away with pretty much anything, I suppose.

- Finally, I think the Sens did really well with the recent trade. They dumped a guy who only cares about himself (Havlat) and a guy who is on the downside of his career (Smolinski) for a regular D-man entering the prime of his career(Preissing), a blue-chip prospect (Hennessey), another youngster (Barinka) and a second-rounder. When you consider that Havlat - who was adamant about signing a one-year deal with the always competitive Sens in favour of testing the free agent market next year - then turned around and signed a ridiculous $6M contract with the hapless Chicago Blackhawks, Sens fans should be happy to be rid of this selfish prima donna.

It's time for fans of this organization to take a page from this year's Jays team and finally realize that just good enough actually isn't good enough. It's about winning, dammit, and guys like Havlat will not get you a championship, so I say good riddance.